MU Office of Institutional Equity sees fewer reports than previous year; sexual assault claims below ‘historical average’

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The University of Missouri Office of Institutional Equity saw a drop in reports made to the office in the 2022-23 school year from the previous year.

The university had 919 reports made during the 2022-23 school year, which is down by 141 reports from 2021-22, which had 1,060 reports made. This year’s total is the second-highest since the school started tracking this data in 2015.

According to the overview of reports released on Monday, a “report is any contact made with OIE, including requests for review, accommodations, or consultation without any alleged policy violations. Reports may also relate to incidents where someone alleges misconduct”

According to the report, there were 53 formal complains investigated by the office, 39 of which were dismissed under Title IX or subject to Summary Resolution, 10 were resolved by Conflict/Informal Resolution Agreements, one was resolved through Hearing Panel Resolution, and three cases are still pending as of Jan. 18.

Data showed that sexual assault allegations for last year (101) were down from the university’s historical average (128). The report states the historical average was calculated from the seven previous years of OIE data.